The drama surrounding the so-called “fiscal cliff” is like a soap opera for wonks: policymaking by suicide pact that makes for terrible governance but suspenseful viewing. And it seems the role of citizens, besides suffering endless cliff puns by the pundits, is simply to tune into the contrived crisis as anxious spectators.
That’s how Grover Norquist wants it. The grand enforcer of right-wing anti-tax orthodoxy recently proposed that every moment of negotiations be aired live on C-SPAN — not just the floor debates and votes that are already televised. Railing against backroom conspiracies and secret pacts (and pointing out, correctly, that President Obama once promised such transparency), he’s calculating that most politicians are loath to be captured on camera raising taxes.
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